We have to talk. It’s not you, it’s me. We’ve had a good run, but it’s time to take a break. Deleting the (there are affiliate links in this post) Zulily app was one thing, but now I’m going to attempt being Target-free for a while. I know what you’re thinking… She’s lost it, gone completely mad. But when my sister-in-law told me she had stopped going, I realized it was possible.
It always starts with an innocent list; shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste. The basics. Then I enter the store, and all financial sanity goes out the window. They’re not always frivolous purchases. My son really did need that rain coat, he didn’t have one. And my daughter’s been asking for new pajamas. Look at that, they’re on clearance!
Well NO MORE! I’m not just saying this because I’m an affiliate for them (but please feel free to use my links to browse around), but I get the Essentials Bundle, as well as the Diapers and Wipes Bundle from The Honest Company, and they are awesome. That pretty much covers all our needs outside of groceries, and then we can use Amazon for all the one off’s. We’ll see how this goes!
Now on to our Expenses and Blog Income for March:
GROCERY EXPENSES:
TRADER JOE’S – $670
OTHER GROCERY – $402 (This is when my husband stops at the grocery store for breakfast or lunch at work.)
GROCERY TOTAL – $1,072 (Ouch, will have to work on that other!!!)
TAKE OUT EXPENSES: $315 (Down a little bit from last month, but not enough to make up for the increased grocery bill.)
SHOPPING EXPENSES:
REI – $214 (Apparently we didn’t get enough from the Patagonia sale last month to fulfill our outdoor apparel needs. Plus we got our REI dividend.)
WALMART – $45
ZURCHERS – $94 (This is a party store, I had to get supplies for my daughter’s 5th birthday party.)
WAYFAIR – $104
COSTCO – $15
AMAZON – $100 (Paying off Christmas)
TARGET – $100
SHOPPING TOTAL – $672
TOTAL EXPENSES – $2,059 (Ok, well clearly this whole “accountability” thing is not working as well as I was hoping… can I just chalk that up to imperfection? Or hopefully I made some of you feel better about what you’re spending each month. You’re welcome.)
And now on to the BLOG INCOME portion. If this is your first time reading, you may be wondering why I’m adding this in as well… It is my goal to eventually be able to earn a full time income on this blog. While I am still a VERY long ways from that, I wanted to keep track from the beginning to help see what’s working and what’s not. So in the interest of budgeting, full disclosure, and full accountability, I invite you to follow along on my progress. (By the way if you are also interested in starting your own website, Bluehost is a great place to begin, and if you use this link it’s only $3.95/month.)
GOOGLE ADSENSE – $0.41
IZEA – $5.50
AMAZON – $0
TARGET – $0
THE HONEST COMPANY – $0
ZULILY – $0
BLOG INCOME TOTAL – $5.91
I actually had earned a little from Amazon, but they took it away because apparently they somehow linked the purchase to have come from one of my friends. If I didn’t use Amazon for everything I would consider removing them as an affiliate, but I suppose someday a “stranger” (however Amazon determines that) will buy something through my site.
I’ve signed up for a few other affiliate and paid sponsorship companies, but I’m going to really focus on building a genuine following before spending too much time applying for them. Mark my words though, one of these days you will be reading this post and it will have a comma and more zeros in there.
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